Whole genomes map pathways of chimpanzee and bonobo divergence
Chimpanzees and bonobos are sister species that diverged around 1.8 million years ago as the Congo River formed a geographic boundary and they evolved in separate environments. Now, a whole-genome comparison of bonobos and chimpanzees reveals the gen.....»»
The signaling pathways that make plants more resistant to flooding
Extreme weather phenomena are on the rise worldwide, including frequent droughts and fires. Floods are also a clear consequence of climate change. For agriculture, a flooded field means major losses: about 15% of global crop losses are due to floodin.....»»
New research gives insights into how organelles divide in cells
A pioneering study has shed new light on how subcellular organelles divide and multiply. The study, led by Professor Michael Schrader from the University of Exeter, has explored on peroxisome dynamics and revealed alternative pathways for their divis.....»»
Scientists develop new method to improve mapping of bird migrations
More than forty scientists from the National Audubon Society and other leading bird and wildlife research and conservation groups published a new study modeling a novel approach to mapping seasonal migration pathways for birds. The study, published r.....»»
Reference genomes provide first insights into genetic roots of mustelid physiological and behavioral diversity
Mustelids are the most ecologically and taxonomically diverse family within the order Carnivora. From the tayra in the neotropics to the wolverine in the subarctic, they inhabit a variety of ecological niches and developed corresponding species-speci.....»»
It"s a female bonobo"s world—ecologists propose new tools to assess sex and power among wild animals
In the wild, it might seem like male animals run the show. But in a review publishing in Trends in Ecology & Evolution on May 18, researchers lay a new framework to assess power distribution between the sexes, and its application shows that in some a.....»»
Unraveling the genetic keys to improve canola crop yield
An international team of researchers, including one from The University of Western Australia (UWA), has successfully unraveled the genomes of 418 unique samples of rapeseed from across the globe to identify traits that breeders can use to improve cro.....»»
High-resolution genomes reveal nuanced origins of the first farmers
Farming has been thought to originate from a single population in Southwest Asia, which covers parts of the modern-day Middle East, and made its way to areas in Turkey, Greece, and eventually across Western Europe. Scientists have long debated how th.....»»
How do genomes evolve between species? Team explores the key role of 3D structure in male germ cells
A study led by scientists at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and University of Kent uncovers how the genome three-dimensional structure of male germ cells determines how genomes evolve over time. Published in Nature Communications and ca.....»»
Soil microbes use different pathways to metabolize carbon
Much of what scientists think about soil metabolism may be wrong. New evidence from Northern Arizona University suggests that microbes in different soils use different biochemical pathways to process nutrients, respire, and grow. The study, published.....»»
Only 3% of potential bacterial drug sources known
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the increasing difficulty in developing new drugs has contributed to global challenges in combating infectious diseases. An extensive bioinformatics survey of around 170,000 bacterial genomes indica.....»»
Staring death in the face: Chimpanzees are drawn to skulls of their own species
But they're still a long way from solemnly reciting Hamlet. Enlarge / A chimpanzee named Ayumu participates in an eye-tracking session in an experimental booth. (credit: A. Goncalves et al., 2022) Swiss primatologist Christoph.....»»
After life of trauma, Liberian lab chimps settle into retirement
Floating on a river boat near a Liberian island, vet Richard Ssuna watches intently as animal carers wade towards the shore hurling fruits and imitating chimpanzee calls as they go......»»
Jaguars could return to the US Southwest—but only if they have pathways to move north
Jaguars are the only species of big cat found on the American continent. They range as far south as Argentina, and once roamed as far north as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Today the northernmost breeding population is in the northwest Mexican state o.....»»
New report maps more big-game migrations in American West
There is perhaps nothing more evocative of the American West than herds of elk, mule deer or pronghorn moving freely across the landscape. And a new series of detailed maps reveals their migration pathways—thanks to a team of state, federal and tri.....»»
Retro technique advances modern bacterial engineering for bioenergy
Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists had a problem mapping the genomes of bacteria to better understand the origins of their physical traits and improve their function for bioenergy production. The method they had successfully used for genetic ma.....»»
Alzheimer"s Study Finds 42 More Genes Linked To Higher Risk of Disease
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Guardian: The largest genetic study of Alzheimer's to date has provided compelling evidence linking the disease to disruption in the brain's immune system. The study, using the genomes of 100,000 people wi.....»»
Are egg cells in aging primates protected from mutations?
New mutations occur at increasing rates in the mitochondrial genomes of developing egg cells in aging rhesus monkeys, but the increases appear to plateau at a certain age and are not as large as those seen in non-reproductive cells, like muscle and l.....»»
Cheap, eco-friendly catalyst opens new possibilities for organic molecules built from pyruvate
Chemists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have developed an organic catalyst that can drive reactions using pyruvate—a key biomolecule in many metabolic pathways—that are difficult and complicated to a.....»»
Extensive sequence divergence found between reference genomes of two zebrafish strains
Tuebingen and AB are the two most common laboratory zebrafish strains. A research group led by Prof. He Shunping from the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported a high-quality de novo genome assembly of the AB str.....»»
New technique may streamline the interpretation of genomes from less-studied animals
A new Cornell study, published in Nature Genetics, sheds light on a controversial debate in epigenetics—the set of molecular changes occurring on top of the genome that regulate how genes are turned on and off, but without changing a cell's DNA seq.....»»